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Practice/Industry Group Overview
Patent Prosecution Our firm has unparalleled experience in preparing and prosecuting patent applications in the United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO). In the last 10 years alone, our firm has prosecuted over 20,000 patents to issuance. With over 50 experienced attorneys, including many former PTO Examiners, our prosecution group has successfully prosecuted patents in all technologies -- including the electronic, chemical, biotechnology and mechanical arts -- for clients ranging from Fortune 100 corporations to internet start-ups. We take pride in preparing patent applications which will help our clients accomplish their real world business objectives. For example, our broad litigation and licensing experience are invaluable in obtaining patents that can be effectively licensed or enforced against infringers. We also advise on the strategic aspects of patent prosecution, helping our clients develop an appropriate and cost-effective patent portfolios. Our patent prosecution practice includes specialized and sophisticated areas that many smaller firms rarely handle. For example, our staff includes several attorneys who are expert in interference procedures, i.e. the inter partes procedure used in the PTO to determine priority among competing applications to patent the same invention. Similarly, we have attorneys with substantial experience in prosecuting reissue applications and reexaminations of issued United States patents. Trademarks Our trademark practice group includes attorneys and specially trained trademark administrators having extensive experience in all aspects of trademark law, including searching and clearance of trademarks; prosecuting trademark applications; litigating and trying trademark, trade dress, unfair competition and dilution matters in state and federal courts; temporary restraining orders and seizures of unauthorized merchandise; and coordinating trademark oppositions and cancellations worldwide. We have both a sophisticated docketing system and the experienced support staff necessary to maintain comprehensive trademark protection. We regularly monitor the United States Patent and Trademark Office's Official Gazette, notify our clients of the publication of potentially conflicting trademarks and will oppose them if authorized. We also monitor the Internet and popular press for unauthorized uses of a client's trademark and can arrange for monitoring the publication of trademarks worldwide. Fitzpatrick oversees management of worldwide trademark portfolios, develops branding strategies to meet client goals and coordinates trademark opposition and cancellation disputes on a global basis, working closely with leading trademark practitioners around the world. Copyrights Our copyright practice group handles all aspects of copyright law, from securing timely registration for our clients' works at the United States Copyright Office to complex matters such as enforcement of those rights through litigation in the United States federal courts. We have also developed successful approaches to our clients' product development in ways that avoid infringement of the rights of others. We have negotiated assignments and licenses relating to the transfer of copyrights and have evaluated the copyright implications of various commercial transactions, such as mergers and acquisitions. Our experience in the copyright field extends to diverse products and markets including computer software and documentation, music and entertainment, jewelry, and literary works.
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